Peanut Free and Nut Free

Other Food Allergies

How many epi pens do you carry and how?

I know there are various other threads that mention how people carry their epi pens. Since the responses seem to be scattered throughout, I was hoping to get people to respond in one thread. My questions: HOW MANY EPI PENS DO YOU CARRY AND WHAT IS THE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION? I currently carry one at all times but keep thinking I should carry two. My son's teacher had one all year but last week she asked for a second one (she said she'd feel more comfortable having more than 20 minutes. I was pleased she asked). I usually carry the epi pen in my son's small diaper bag in the plastic tube it comes in. I recently put one in a toothbrush holder but someone said it's not secure that way. I know there are products out there - epimate, zoni, etc. and I'm thinking maybe it's time to purchase one of them. How about you? How many epi's do you carry and how?

My son is almost 5. We have one epi each at daycare, preschool, grammies, and my sister's house - plaaces he spends time. I have one epi in my purse all the time, just in the box it came in. Right now we have about 5 on top of the fridge. DH or I will grab one if we are going to be away from home for more than a few hours. I take all the ones we have at home if we are going to be gone for the weekend or on vaction. Basically if I don't know how close the nearest hospital is, I want to be prepared for anything, even thoough I know it is rare to have to use more than one Epi. Our biggest challenge came last year when we went to the beach. I finally bought a two-compartment lunch box. I put one of those blue things that you freeze in the top and the Epi in the bottom with a thermometer. It stayed within the limits even when it was 90 on the beach.

AmyR., we have four Epi-pens. The school, when Jesse started in September 1999 requested two. They wanted the second one in case an ambulance did not arrive within twenty minutes. At that time, I had one also for my purse. I simply carry it in it's tubing.

Then, I began thinking and thought, if the
school has two in case the ambulance doesn't arrive in time and I live in the same vicinity as the school, shouldn't I have two also?

So, now I have two in my purse. The one is just in it's original holder thing. Then, the second one, I left in the paper wrapping from the pharmacy and it's in it's tube and also in my purse. Now, I'm very fortunate that I'm not a "typical" woman and I have absolutely nothing else in my purse except my wallet and my keys anyway.

Now, Jesse at school has one, in it's tubing, that he wears in a fanny pack. The other one, the teacher has. The one in his fanny pack does get crushed because the fanny pack does not offer enough protection for it, especially on a pretty active little guy out in the schoolyard. I really want an epi-belt for him. It's just a matter of actually finding the cash for it.

Except for the one that Jesse wears, I feel comfortable with the way all of the other ones are being carried.

Also, on the rare occasion that I am not with Jesse, I always make sure to give the Epi-pens I have in my purse to his Father or perhaps my girlfriend. This may happen, what, twice a year?

When he gets older and is venturing places without me (what age is that, anyway?), I would then want him wearing an epi-belt to carry an Epi-pen with him. That's another thing I'll deal with when the time comes.

Best wishes! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

Four epi-pens. One in the diaper bag at all times, sometimes two. One in my purse at all times and one in my DH's front, sealed coat pocket. Although after reading some posts, I'm thinking of looking into those puncture proof carriers(sp?). Kim

Three at school (lunchroom, nurse, classroom, oh, and his backpack) one in kitchen, one in fanny pack. We take about three on the road when we travel. Now some are expiring...Time to shell out for a new batch, and to re-explain to my pharmacist why I need more than ONE.

We have six Epipens for our 3 y/o son. Two are at preschool. One in my kitchen cabinet. The remaining three we keep in the FAN medicine kit nylon bag. I just clip it to my purse and bring it with us where ever we go. It gives me peace-of-mind, knowing I have enough Epipens to give my son at least one hour of treatment.

10 - two in my purse at all times, two in a small carrying case for my husband, two for my babysitter to carry in her purse, two for preschool, and two extras at home. We have two everywhere so we'll always have a back-up in case one doesn't work - a while back there was a recall of the Epi-pens because some weren't firing. Chris had also mentioned this on another thread and I think it's a good idea: make sure you get pens with different lot numbers in case there is a defective bunch.

I carry one EpiPen with me @ all times (well, not in the shower!) in an E-Belt (formerly EpiBelt) from Zoni Inc. ([url]http://www.zoniinc.com[/url]). I have 2 others @ home as spares. The E-belt also has the antihistamine pouch.

Now, before anyone recommends that I should have 2 to buy more time - yes, I know it may be a good idea, but ... I don't eat any product of which I am not 100% sure. I don't eat in restaurants or shared facilities. I don't eat "processed" food which I consider suspect (all of it!). I read all labels twice and avoid anything with warnings or suspect ingredients. I make all my own food from fresh ingredients (yes, I'm the "chef" in our household). I'm paranoid!! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/wink.gif[/img]

I carry one with my in my purse at all times and keep one at home, plus Benadryl in both places. When my daughter goes to preschool, which will be in the fall, I will give at least one, probably two, to the preschool. Here's a question I have for all of you (especially JH500 who has 10!!). Our pens are expiring and I got a new prescription. Our insurance (which changed since the last RX) will only dispense one pen at a time. Did anyone else have this problem, and has anyone been successful in arguing with the insurance company about needing multiple pens on hand? I thought I would arm myself before I took on the insurance people.

I've been VERY fortunate in that my insurance company has never questioned the need for so many epi-pens, nor has our allergist hesitated in prescribing them. If I had to pay for them myself, I might think twice about having so many - or would I? I think I'd still have that many, for my own peace of mind.

After hearing of my brother's girlfriend's experience with the EpiPens (she has had trouble with her past two, one failed completely) and also my pediatrician trying one and having trouble, we now carry two everywhere. I have an epibelt at home for one but I'm thinking of ordering the same belt that carries two.

I am the mother a of a pa child. The reason that I developed the EpiMate came from the same questions and needs that you all have. We made the EpiMate so that you can carry one or multiple pens,store or carry pens where ever they need to be including on your person, the refrigerator , on a school nurses filing cabinet or in your pocket book.
We designed the EpiMate to securly hold the EpiPen in place at all times to help protect it from being jostled and then malfunctioning. In case the pen does malfunction the EpiMate is also designed to be puncture proof.
Other features include:
Multiple convenient ways to carry including by belt clip or hook and loop.
Interior slots molded to hold antihistamine tablets
Magnets to store EpiMate on various surfaces
A float ring which can be attatched when needed
A complete medical and personal labeling system
It is obvious that all people carry and handle their EpiPens in different ways. We hope that the EpiMate can help in any way to promate everyone to safely carry their EpiPen with them and store it safely, because that is what is most important.
For any questions regarding the EpiMate please contact us at [email]info@EpiMate.com[/email] or go to our web site for more detailed information at [url="http://www.EpiMate.com"]www.EpiMate.com[/url]
The EpiMate is distributed through foodallergy.org and [url="http://www.cvs.com"]www.cvs.com[/url]
Mindy

Right now we carry two (in the plastic tube) and a bottle of benadryl (and a spoon!!) in either my purse or the diaper bag, depending on how much other med/diaper stuff we have to haul around. If I have too much to fit in my purse, I transfer everything to the big diaper bag. It's TOO big though, so once I get a little extra cash, I'm going to be looking for a smaller bag to turn into our Med Bag. We have two more Epipens in the kitchen cabinet which we grab if we're going on a long drive or will be further away from the hospital. Like when we drive to my SILs (7hr drive...mostly empty highway) or go to my mom's (50min from a hospital). On the VERY rare occasions my husband takes Matt somewhere by himself, he carries the 2 epipens (no benadryl) in his coat or shirt pocket. We're planning on buying a fanny pack for him to carry them and the benadryl in though, when we can.

Right now we carry two (in the plastic tube) and a bottle of benadryl (and a spoon!!) in either my purse or the diaper bag, depending on how much other med/diaper stuff we have to haul around. If I have too much to fit in my purse, I transfer everything to the big diaper bag. It's TOO big though, so once I get a little extra cash, I'm going to be looking for a smaller bag to turn into our Med Bag. We have two more Epipens in the kitchen cabinet which we grab if we're going on a long drive or will be further away from the hospital. Like when we drive to my SILs (7hr drive...mostly empty highway) or go to my mom's (50min from a hospital). On the VERY rare occasions my husband takes Matt somewhere by himself, he carries the 2 epipens (no benadryl) in his coat or shirt pocket. We're planning on buying a fanny pack for him to carry them and the benadryl in though, when we can.

Mindy : you mentioned keeping the EpiPen in the EpiMate in the refrigerator ... even thanks to the insulating properties of the EpiMate, you still shouldn't keep the EpiPen in the fridge (check that out with the manufacturers) - the mechanism will malfunction if kept *cold* ...

6 epipens - 1 with the school nurse, 1 with the classroom teacher, 1 in his backpack, 1 in my purse, 1 for my DH, and 2 extras at home. We use the Epimate for the ones in my son's backpack and my purse, along with Benadryl tablets (and yes, I'd prefer the liquid but after having 2 big leaks in my purse...).

Nick I think (hope) Mindy was saying that some people do keep their Epi-Pens ON the refrigerator, not IN the refrigerator.

I have had emergency medical people tell me that they often check in, on and around the refrigerators when they go to a house because many people do keep medications near the refrigerator and this can lead the medical people to figuring out what is going on with the patient. Example; If they found Epi-Pens on top of the refrigerator and they found that these Epi-Pens were prescribed for the person they were responding to the call for, then this might aid them in determining what is happening with the person. One of my best friends is a firefighter (Mass, USA) and he also recommended to me that we keep notes and medications (Epi-Pens) on our refrigerator for our daughter as he knows they check that area when they arrive on scene for a medical call.

We have 4 epi pens and keep all of them
in our sons allergy backpack. It goes
where ever we go. I don't keep seperate
pens in the house because when we are in
the house so is the allergy bag. We
homeschool so he is with us most of the
time. I also keep Benedryl in the bag
and asthma medication.
Tracy

Thank you Chris for clarifying the refrigerator issue.Chris is right, you can store the EpiMate ON the fridge with the magnets not inside of the fridge.

Heather, as far as the bulkiness of two
EpiMates is concerned...when we were testing out how to attatch two single EpiMates together we used my seven year old daughter as a guide. She thought that the most comfortable way to wear them were clipped to her belt loop. She is not crazy about wearing things around her waist.So that's where we began.We also realize that many people like to wear the EpiMate in waist packs so we have designed one that will be available for purchase in March 2001, that can hold one or two EpiMates.We wanted the EpiMate to be safe, convenient and versatile to fit everyones life style. We thought that people would want a double EpiMate soon after the single came out , but so far, people love being able to attatch two or wearing one single on the belt clip with out ever taking the EpiPen out of the EpiMate.

The EpiMate is the same length as the EpiPen tube, and would probably fit into whatever you are carrying your EpiPen in now.
If you have any other questions please let me know.
Mindy

Our son just turned three. We use a small pack we bought at a department store. It looks like a small camera bag. We keep four Epi-pens, a bottle of benadryl, and a copy of our emergency medical plan in it. The emergency medical plan lists what symptoms to look for, how we want a reaction handled and phone numbers including our local hospital, and his physicians. Four may
sound excessive but we live in a rural area and are more often than not anywhere from a half hourto hour from a hospital depending on road conditions. I take the pack everywhere with us, the only other people to watch our son are his grandmother or an aunt. Every time they watch him we go over what to look for and how to use the Epi-pen. They are both very comfortable
watching him and have been shown probably a hundred times how to use the Epi-pen but it just make them feel more confidant if we review it with them each time. Once Epi-pens have expired I have them try using one on fruit so they have an idea of what to expect.

Hi
We have two which we keep in a fanny pack in the plastic. Also a bottle of benedryl and medicine dispenser. Two are at grandparents and then extras, just in case in our cabinet (4 extras ). The fanny pack goes with whoever is with my son. Even Granfather puts it on if he takes him outside to play.

Aside to Mindy -- can you fit a benadryl bottle in the Epimate? If not, it might not be a bad idea to investigate the possibility. I have not purchased any of the products out there for carrying because I haven't found one that allows for the benadryl. Our allergist wants the liquid, not the pill. Thanks.

RJM- The EpiMate only has slots for antihistamine (Benadryl) tablets. When designing the EpiMate our focus was on the safety and convenience of carrying an EpiPen, after all that is what will save our childrens (and our own) lives . We knew that many people also like to carry Benadryl and that is why we molded the antihistamine tablet slots inside of the case while keeping the EpiMate as compact as possible. When my child has needed benadryl the tablets have always been effective in taking care of hives. However, if she needed the EpiPen, Benadryl wouldn't enter the picture for us. I know the theories differ Doctor to Doctor, forget about parent to parent,on that issue and that is why we made antihistamine readily available in the EpiMate. We will continue to work on the liqued Benadryl issue and appreciate all of the feedback and suggestions you all have to offer.
Mindy

Mindy, part of the reason I started this thread was to get a better understanding of how the epi pen holder products work. I'm glad I can now ask you questions regarding the epimate. Can you explain the difference between a dual epimate vs. having two single epimates that attach? How exactly do they attach and how much of a size difference is there between a double and putting two singles together?

There has been some discussion that epi pens can malfunction. If this is true it seems like we should always carry two epipens and the double is the way to go. Your thoughts?

Mindy,
I have 3 Epimates for my daughter(5yr old), and we love them. one is attached to her backpack, another in a belt for her to wear when required, and the other attaches to whatever we need it to as an extra. I realize now though, that I don't carry nearly enough Epipens!I've just started taking one to work, I'm a nurse in an ICU, I've always felt I was in good hands there, but lately I've been uneasy about the drive without one!(I'm PA/TNA,fish A) Gotta go... gotta get more Epipens!!!
jillsmom

Since my son is not in school yet and is always with me, I carry three epipens (in their tubing) in my purse at all times, along with a small bottle of prednisone and Benadryl. We live in a tourist area with a lot of accidents (especially in the summer) and I figure I'm about 30 - 45 minutes away from any hospital, wherever I am. During the summer, car accident season for our tourist trap area, I carry four. Traffic can be blocked like you wouldn't believe for hours. I'm currently in the process of ordering Protect-tubes for the epipens as well as an epibelt for my son so he can get used to wearing one on his body.

There are always another 3 - 4 extra epipens in our kitchen cabinet, along with a fresh prescription.

I have 8 epipens. Two at the sitter's house, two in a diaper bag that father and grandfather carry,two in my purse and two stay at our house. I just purchased an epimate and it looks great. Just got it last night and will let you know later how we like it.

We leave 1 epi-pen at the school per child. We keep 2 epi-pens, prednisone and benadryl in the red vinyl medication kit from FAAN. (I combined benadryl bottles so that the one in the kit is premeasured to 2 tsp. In an emergency, all they need to do is drink the amount in the bottle.) The bags stay with the kids at all times.

[This message has been edited by twins' mom (edited February 25, 2002).]

We leave 1 epi-pen at any place my son regularly spends time (ie, preschool). We also leave an Epi-Pen with anyone who is watching him for a playdate,etc. Lastly, dh and I always carry 1 in an Epi-mate that is attached to our keychain. We found this to be really handy, as we never go anywhere without our keys.

We have about 6 unexpired epi Jrs at any one time. We take them all if we are going to be away from home overnight anywhere or are flying.

I have gotten around the HMO's healthy sense of the ridiculous (ONE.... HA!) by asking a pharmacist to order in an epi Jr. TRAINER TWINPACK. Compounding pharmacies and hospital pharmacies seem to be much more willing to do "special" stuff like this.
(As an added bonus, they frequently have much better expiration dates, too.) [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/biggrin.gif[/img]

Anyway, yes- we carry two anywhere we go, in addition to the digital phone. My DH used to carry just one, but I have finally convinced him that carrying a pair (from different lots) is a better idea. We also carry a bottle of Benadryl and a medicine dropper.... I am checking into a way to carry two single doses though, because that Benadryl bottle gets heavy and bulky- DH won't take it at all. The Benadryl fastmelts seemed like a good idea, but our pharmacist and a pharmacologist I asked both said that they would probably cost us a minute or two more time than the liquid, so we nixed that idea.
Most of the time I just carry them in the tubes they came in, but if we will be somewhere hot or cold, I insulate them with (don't laugh!) pipe insulation and foam plugs for each end.

*sigh* I really wish that there were a simply way to carry two epipens (insulated) the Benadryl AND the phone in one compact package that would be convenient to carry.... unfortunately, the laws of physics prevent this since I abhor large purses and therefore this "one package" wouldn't fit in it! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

Hmmm...I need to count them. Two at school, one in my purse, and three others stored by the front door for husband, babysitter etc... to grab if needed to take dd out or if needed for a "home" reaction. We have just switch to the Epi Pen (not Jr.) and I was pleased that it still fit in the EpiMate. The EpiMate is great, my husband does not mind carrying the black one even in the summer as he can easily clip it to his belt. DD has the pink one that she occasionally carries when she is not with us. She is not allowed to carry her own at school - they are in the office - but it is a small school and the office is close to the lunch room and her classroom.

I used to leave the one in my purse in the orginal box, but I now just carry it in the tubing and keep the box nicer looking for when we travel. I know that sounds strange but post 9/11, I have been carrying a doctors note, the prescription, and the Epi's in their orginal boxes with the drug store labels on them in case we get resistance at security. I want all of it to look "offical". We have been on two trips since 9/11 (total of 7 flights) with connections and have had no trouble with taking the Epis on the plane.

My daughter carries 2 epipens in the double EpiBelt from Zoni Inc. We also have about 8 backups in the house, and 2 in my purse. At school, there are 2 backups in her classroom, and 1 backup in the office. She never takes her EpiBelt off while at school. She started carrying them on her person when she was 3 in Junior Kindergarten.
You should always have at least 2 on you in case one fails, or human error while injecting it. :-)

My son has one epi in his backpack (along with a single, pre-measured dose of benedryl), one at daycare and one at school (that way at day care and at school there are always 2, but I didn't have to buy another for each place). In addition, he has 2 in his fanny pack with benedryl and a measuring syringe, and we have another 1-2 in the house. Hope that helps. Kristi

I feel like I am taking crazy pills! When I got my DH's epi refill in July (2 pens as we've always been told to have 2) the dr's office said to call back right before school started to request a 3rd one for the school since they expire so quickly. I call back today and they act like they have no idea what I'm talking about and 2 should be enough, 1 for me and 1 for the school. We keep going back and forth and I literally have to say "we had an entire conversation about this back in July." They are going to have to check with the dr "since insurance usually only allows for 2" (isn't that my problem?). Then, I call to check with the insurance to see if they cover a third. They mention I got 2 back in July. I'm like yes, hence the word third (only using more polite phrasing). She comes back and tells me the cost of 3 epi pens. I'm like "I got 2 in July, so the cost of 1 would be a third of that estimate, correct?" She says "oh, you only need one?" Oh sweet mother!!!

I'm a mom with a 5 yr old PA son. We have two Epi-pens at school one in the kitchen and two he carries with him at all times (with the exception of the bus). We bought a backpack type bag that is made for a Nintendo DS. This bag is the perfect size and has elastic to secure the Epi-pens inside(meant for the DS). We keep the pens in the plastic protective shells they come in and we also keep the clip that holds them together. The bag also has a small zippered pouch in the front (meant for games). I found (after much searching) liquid benadryl in single use pre-filled spoons. These are the best because each is individually wrapped and so much easier to carry than a huge bottle. We have five of these in the front pouch along with a few band-aids and it all fits fine. My son loves his and evens reminds us to grab it before we go anywhere.

Our allergist insists on only using liquid benadryl and not the strips or pills which take longer to work. The pre-filled spoons are called Children's Benadryl Perfect Measure.

After reading many of your comments I think I will ask for the paperwork from the school to allow my son to carry an epi in his backpack as well. The bus is the only place he does not have an epi with him.

I carry two Epi-pens at all times. I will add a third if we are going someplace that emergency services wouldn't be able to reach us quickly. (The third is incase one fails). I carry them all in a small Tupperware container with instructions, allergist information, a bunch of single dose Benadryl and a pair of safety scissors. ( Scissors are for opening the Benadryl. On super hot days I throw in my bag a small ice pack wrapped in a washcloth. My son's teacher has an Epi-pen in her desk, nurse has one, and so does the principal. I've taped a picture of my son on the outside of the Epi-pen box also.